These documents are not specific to one stage but may also be of help during the facilities development process.

Planning

General

El Comienzo (In Spanish), Second Edition: A product of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, this publication covers a range of topics with respect to getting started in the business of family child care, including tips for starting your business, how to become licensed, setting up your environment, age appropriate activities and much more.

Family Child Care Financial Planning and Facilities Development Manual: An expanded version of the Insight Center Maneuvering the Maze materials, specifically for family child care providers. This Manual includes five detailed chapters designed to help family child care providers business owners manage the financial side of their businesses and plan for a facility development project including expanding, renovating, building or purchasing a family child care home. Available inSpanishandChinese!

SBA How To Start A Quality Child Care Business: Designed to help you plan, prepare and operate a successful child care business. It explains the step by step process of starting the business, from assessing the need for child care services to selecting the service, setting up your business, and preparing for opening day. It also includes information from women who have owned or now operate their own child care businesses.

Identify Market Demand

2011 California Child Care Portfolio: The 2011 California Child Care Portfolio presents a compilation of California statewide and county-by-county statistics on child care. The Portfolio includes a comprehensive California statewide report in both narrative and graphic format highlighting child care supply, demand, and cost issues in the context of current policy, demographic and labor force trends.

Assess Financial Feasibility and Organizational Capacity

Financial Readiness Assessment(Red and Green Flags): Identifies criteria for determining "Red and Green Flags" that should respectively discourage or encourage a program in pursuing a facility development project.

How to Open or Improve Your Family Child Care Business: A Workbook that lays the foundation for designing a business plan. Helps family child care providers answer key questions related to their motivation, experience, supply and demand for services to be provided, business administration, pricing and operational budget. Also available in Spanish.

Predevelopment

Select a Site and Obtain Site Control and Approval

A Citizen's Guide to Planning: provides information on the process and system of land use planning as it is practiced in California. Its purpose is to explain, in general terms, how local communities regulate land use and to define some commonly used planning terms. The booklet covers the following topics: State Law and Local Planning,The General Plan, Zoning, Subdivisions, Other Ordinances and Regulations, Annexation and Incorporation, The California Environmental Quality Act, A Glossary of Planning Terms.

Great Places for Childhood (video and booklet): Provides early childhood professionals with examples of environmental designs that meet the developmental needs of children and adults, paying particular attention to the needs of different age groups. (Order)

Home Playground Safety Checklist: A one-page checklist of information designed to help you evaluate the safety of your home playground for the children in your care.

Family Child Care Business Planning Guide: Offers information about making sound business decisions and raising the level of professionalism in the family child care field. Providers can learn to design effective policies, keep essential records, and market their business. Includes sample business documents, forms, and a bibliography. (Order)

Each one of these resources provides exceptionally useful information that caters to the needs of all child care business owners, but especially to the needs of family child care providers who are interested in purchasing a home.

Preparing Child Care Borrowers for Underwriting: LIIF has designed this checklist to help individuals and organizations seeking child care capital financing understand the type of documentation lenders need to determine the viability of a potential borrower.

Understanding Loans: Provides explanations of the advantages to using loans for family child care facilities development projects; information about a lender's perspective when considering an application; and an answer to the question: "what's the best way to apply for a loan?"

Equip the Classroom

Many Right Ways/Muchas Maneras Correctas: The Enterprise Foundation is pleased to announce the release of a new video to support family child care providers in their communities. This video provides step-by-step guidance to help child care providers set up their homes for child care. It is available in English (Many Right Ways) and Spanish (Muchas Maneras Correctas). The two versions were filmed separately to address differences in language.

Start-Up

Phase in Staffing and Children

101 Ways to Build Enrollment in Your Early Childhood Program: Provides practical tips that show you how to attract families to your center or home and how to keep them there. Written specifically with a busy director or family child care provider in mind, these hands-on tips make your job easier and save you time and money.

Family Day Care Provider-Parent Contracts: A handout from the Alameda County R&R, Bananas Inc. Provides an explanation of the importance of using contracts, how to do them, and many sample forms, including: FCC Home Rules, Contract, Authorization to Leave Care, Medical Treatment Authorization; and Field Trip Authorization. This resource is also available in Chinese.

Sustain the Program

El Comienzo (In Spanish), Second Edition: A product of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, this publication covers a range of topics with respect to getting started in the business of family child care, including tips for starting your business, how to become licensed, setting up your environment, age appropriate activities and much more.

Family Child Care Handbook, 6th Edition: A product of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, this book provides a comprehensive anthology of family child care training materials, covering start-up, business aspects, parent-provider relations, child development activities, and child care resources.

Home Day Care Complete Recordkeeping System: This 130-page book is packed with all of the financial information necessary to establish and maintain a recordkeeping system for a home daycare. It has been used as a training manual for child care providers and tax professionals throughout the United States and has helped home daycare providers with their recordkeeping since 1995. This is a comprehensive recordkeeping and tax book exclusively designed for the home daycare profession.

Home Day Care Recordkeeping -- Your Financial Guide to Success: This 98-page book offers a lighter look into the recordkeeping required to operate this unique home business. All important topics are covered and insightful recordkeeping tips are shared. Learn how to calculate the Space/Time Percentage, how to track direct and indirect expenses, how to deduct use of your family computer and television, what methods can be used to record the mileage deduction, and much more. Also available in Spanish.

A Guideline for Family Child Care Providers Considering Opening a Child Care Center: many successful family child care providers have hopes of owning their own child care center. Outlining the differences between operating a home- versus center-based child care program, this document will discuss the planning and resources (financial and staffing) necessary to open a child care center. Offering steps to help providers determine whether opening a child care center is a viable option, this publication informs both the child care intermediary and provider field.